This invention relates to leveling devices, and particularly to leveling devices for wheeled vehicles such as trailers and the like, and includes kits including the device and methods of leveling vehicles.
It is commonly necessary, when setting in place a camper or trailer or similar wheeled vehicle, to be sure that the vehicle is level. The usual procedure, for simpler vehicles, is to jack up the front of the vehicle at the trailer tongue or hitch until some longitudinal level indicating device shows the vehicle is level in that direction, and then insert spacers or lifts under a wheel of the vehicle to level it in the lateral direction, using a lateral level indicating device to check how level the vehicle is in the second direction.
There may be separate level indicating devices on the wheeled vehicle, or there may be a single, adjustable, level indicating device, including both longitudinal and lateral indicators, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,381 to Pierce. Another U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,188, to Foster et al., shows a trailer leveling device in which a bubble level on a curved rail indicates the degree of lateral elevation required to bring the trailer to a level condition. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,706,341 to Havens, there is shown a list indicator for airplanes, in which a lateral bubble level is pivoted by a surface of a rotary cam, and an indicator dial shows the degree of list.
It is an object of this invention to provide a sturdy, inexpensive, level indicating device for wheeled vehicles that indicates longitudinal and lateral levels, that is adjustable for both those directions, and that also provides means for readily and rapidly indicating where and how much lift must be given a wheel to level the vehicle. It is a further object to provide a kit for leveling wheeled vehicles that includes a level indicating device and a number of wheel lifts that correspond to the device's indicators. Finally, it also is an object of the invention to provide a rapid and efficient method for leveling a wheeled vehicle in both the longitudinal and lateral directions.